Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 501 Immortal Apricot of Departing Fire
Crimson clouds rolled beneath his feet as Ji An gazed at the black mountain city not far away, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He has been away from the sect for over a month and will soon arrive at Rongman Immortal City.

This was his first stop when he came to Nanzhou last time, and he plans to start here again this time.

Because he had a conflict with the cultivators of the Earthly Fiend Sect, he subtly adjusted his facial muscles, changing his facial contours to make him look more ordinary.

If you judge a book by its cover, he looks nothing like he used to be.

The closer they got to the Immortal City, the more cultivators came and went. Ji An reduced his flying speed. The cultivators at the Chaoyuan stage still had a certain deterrent effect, and others would intentionally keep their distance from him.

Upon entering the Immortal City, he immediately headed to Azure Dragon Street, where the Immortal City sold spiritual agricultural supplies.

When he last visited this immortal city, he bought some Vajra Bodhi seeds from a shop. Later, when he planted them, the fruit greatly helped him cultivate the Golden Jade Bone Body.

He'll prioritize buying a batch of goods; there might be unexpected gains. In addition, he plans to purchase a large quantity of spirit soil.

Ji An deliberately avoided buying these things from within the sect, so he had to buy them outside.

He would go into even the smallest shops to inquire, because divine objects are often hidden, and the seeds of the Gathering Yuan Tree were bought from a street stall in Mingfeng Immortal City.

The chances of such incredible luck are very low, but if you do encounter it, you will benefit for a lifetime.

He no longer harbored any extravagant hopes for spiritual roots of heaven and earth. Being able to purchase a relatively rare spiritual seed of the second-tier superior grade or above would be a huge profit.

There are still many unused areas in the gourd world, and seeing them lying barren makes him feel sad.

Ji An stepped into a very large shop and said to the welcoming maid:
"I want to talk to your manager about a big deal."

The maid gave a polite, business-like smile and said:

"I wonder what kind of big business you're referring to, senior? I'd like to help inform you."

We can't just accept whatever the customer says. The most important reason is that the monk in front of us looks very ordinary, and his Taoist robe is also different in style.

"Purchase second-grade mid-level spirit soil, buy in large quantities."

"Please wait a moment, I will inform the senior," the maid said, quickly going upstairs with small, quick steps. Soon she followed a pale-faced, round-faced cultivator downstairs.

"I admire longevity. Senior, please allow me a moment to speak."

The round-faced cultivator said in a kind tone, "Second-grade mid-level spirit soil is indeed a great business opportunity."

The two arrived at the VIP room and took their seats. A maid served them spiritual tea and pastries.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Mu Changsheng asked with a smile:

"What kind of spiritual soil does the senior need, and how much?"

The cultivation of low-level spirit fields is relatively simple, while the higher the level of the spirit plant, the higher the requirements for the spirit field conditions.

Starting from the second tier, cultivating a spirit field requires targeted nurturing to make it more inclined towards a certain type of spirit plant belonging to one of the five elements.

Wood-elemental spiritual plants growing in fire-elemental spiritual fields are unlikely to survive, let alone grow rapidly.

"How many mid-grade second-tier spirit soils of the Wood, Water, and Metal elements do you have?"

Ji An spoke with an air of not being short of money, saying that in the Calabash World, a second-tier mid-grade fire coral plant had already been cultivated, which could be ground into powder and used as fire-elemental spiritual soil.

The insect tower of the Soul-Devouring Insects can also be used as second-tier mid-grade spirit soil; when needed, the insects can be driven out.

Out with the old, in with the new; they will build new homes, bigger homes.

Now all he needs to do is get the wood, water, and metal types of spiritual soil sorted. He bought some from other shops, but the total amount wasn't large, only about 700-800 catties of each type.

He could use it for a while, but he wanted to solve the problem once and for all, so he would buy at least five or six thousand catties before returning to his clan.

Mu Changsheng smiled confidently and said:
"This should be enough to satisfy your appetite, senior. Each type weighs over a thousand catties."

Second-grade mid-level spirit soil is not cheap; a stock of over a thousand catties would typically take two years to sell.

Many customers act like they have plenty of money when buying supplies, but when it comes to actually making a transaction, they make excuses to avoid it.

He'd seen plenty of customers like this before, so it didn't surprise him.

"Okay, I'll take them all."

"really?"

"I don't have time to tease you, but since I'm buying such a large quantity, we need to discuss the price carefully."

Ji An has already traded with many shops and is quite familiar with market prices, so this time he's going to try and negotiate a better price.

Mu Changsheng rubbed his hands excitedly and said:
"If you can acquire all of them, I can offer you the best possible discount."

Xiaoxue, go and fetch the account books.

"Yes," the maid replied respectfully and quickly left the room.

Mu Changsheng continued, "Senior, second-grade mid-level Black Swamp Soil costs fifty-five spirit stones per pound, while Green Flower Soil costs sixty spirit stones per pound. White Condensation Soil is the rarest and therefore the most expensive, costing seventy-five spirit stones per pound."

We'll calculate the total bill first, and then we'll offer the discount.

He understood that he couldn't offer discounts right away. A few spirit stones off per kilogram might not seem like much, but a larger total discount would satisfy customers more.

"Okay, I hope I can see your shop's sincerity."

The price is similar to other shops; it all depends on how much of a discount you can get in the end.

A moment later, a maid entered carrying an account book. Mu Changsheng took it, opened it, and said:
"Senior, our shop's warehouse currently contains 1,600 catties of second-grade mid-level Black Ze soil, 1,400 catties of Qinghua soil, and 950 catties of White Concrete."

He quickly did the mental calculations, "If I buy everything, it will cost over 243,000 spirit stones. Is that alright?"

"If you offer a discount and I'm satisfied, then there's no problem."

After returning to his sect, Ji An is now incredibly wealthy, possessing over eighty high-grade spirit stones, and nearly six hundred thousand mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones combined.

Looking at the other party's calm expression, Mu Changsheng thought to himself that he had encountered the ruling faction of a powerful force. The only unusual thing was that the other party did not have any followers.

"Two hundred and thirty thousand spirit stones, our price is very sincere."

As you should know, the formation of this type of spiritual soil requires stringent conditions, such as the presence of black swamp soil.

Ji An waved his hand, interrupting the other party:

"Rounding down the difference, 200,000 is a good price."

The spiritual jade used to cultivate spiritual fields is not dug from high-level spiritual fields, but rather nurtured in places where spiritual energy converges.

It is said that the major sects in the Central Continent possess the secret methods for cultivating this kind of spiritual soil, but I don't know if it's true or not.

The cultivation of sacred soil takes a long time; it is a gift from nature. However, mining it is very simple; it is almost a risk-free business.

If he weren't worried that someone in the sect might notice something amiss, he would definitely buy it from the sect; keeping so many minor merits would be a waste.

“Senior is joking. You must be buying this spiritual soil to cultivate spiritual fields. It may seem like a big investment, but in the long run, your gains will far exceed the investment.” After some haggling, the deal was finally struck at 210,000.

Mu Changsheng looked pained, "My employer will punish me for such a discount."

Ji An pursed her lips and changed the subject:
"Do you have any high-grade spirit seeds for sale here? Spirit seeds of the second tier or above, and it would be even better if you had seeds of precious plants."

Mu Changsheng clapped his hands and said:

"Senior, you're in luck. Just a few days ago, our store acquired a second-tier top-grade spirit seed."

"Please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch the spirit soil and spirit seed together."

A few days ago, he acquired three seeds of the same spiritual plant from a rogue cultivator. In the eyes of the rogue cultivator, such things were useless, but in the eyes of a powerful force with a strong base, such resources were the most valuable, while animal hides and spiritual herbs were just worthless.

"Okay, hurry back," Ji An said happily, having failed to find a suitable spirit seed along the way.

The shopkeeper walked briskly, strode out, and quickly returned with several storage bags, taking much less time than the maid.

He respectfully handed over the storage bag, saying, "Senior, please inspect the spirit soil first."

After carefully weighing the bag, Ji An placed it on the table. "The weight is correct. Now let me see what kind of spirit seed it contains."

Mu Changsheng produced a red wooden box, opened it, and presented it to the customer.

"A second-tier top-grade Fire Immortal Apricot. This kind of immortal apricot can be cultivated to the third tier."

The wooden box was slightly warm, and inside lay a seed the size of a fingertip, similar in shape to an ordinary apricot pit, but reddish in color, with a few very faint golden cloud patterns.

Ji An pinched the apricot pit, feeling the life force within the seed, and frowned slightly, saying:

"Its origin is somewhat weak, obviously due to some innate deficiencies. It barely reaches the top-grade level, but it's just one step short. Such a spiritual seed cannot be sold at the price of a second-grade top-grade seed."

Tell me, what price are you planning to sell it for?

The Fire Immortal Apricot is a well-known fire-elemental spiritual plant. Even if it is not refined into a pill, consuming it can temporarily increase one's comprehension of fire-elemental power.

Because it is a fusion of Bing Fire and Ding Fire, it is said that long-term consumption can improve physical constitution, but I don't know if it's true or not.

"You're an expert." Mu Changsheng didn't say the lie he was about to utter. The spirit apricots must have been picked before they were ripe, so the kernels inside weren't fully ripe.

Two more spirit seeds were mature, which he sent back to his family.

He chuckled awkwardly, "Even a second-grade high-quality spirit seed can be worth several thousand spirit stones."

Ji An frowned and sneered:
"What, are you planning to sell spirit seeds at the price of spirit fruits?"
A high level of spiritual seed does not mean that we can cultivate it to the corresponding level.

They're all experts; let's be friends. I'll offer five hundred spirit stones.

"That's quite generous of me, isn't it? I spent 210,000 spirit stones, yet I didn't have the audacity to ask for this spirit seed as a bonus!"

As long as the spiritual plant has potential, even if it has congenital defects, he can cultivate a few more, and it is worth spending more time and effort.

The other party was right about one thing: this is a spiritual plant that can be cultivated to the third tier.

For other forces, spiritual plants possess potential but it is difficult to tap into that potential, but Ji An just wants to say that I am different.

Mu Changsheng smiled wryly, "Deal."

When you encounter an expert, you have nothing to say; this is all you can do.

“The right choice,” Ji An said, taking out several stacks of low-grade spirit stones and some mid-grade spirit stones.
"Count them. If there are no problems, I'll leave."

He took out most of the low-grade spirit stones he had, totaling 150,000, and the room instantly became a warehouse.

Mu Changsheng was taken aback and said to the maid:

"Xiaoxue, call a few workers over to help with the inventory."

It is difficult to count the spirit stones because they have a suppressive effect on spiritual sense, and he cannot be sure if there are other things in the pile of spirit stones.

The maid called over three assistants, and it took them half an hour to finish counting. Each of them reported the quantity they had counted.

After confirming that everything was correct, Ji An put away his storage bag and spirit seed and left.

Mu Changqing returned to his room, his gaze becoming somber. From the conversation, it was clear that this customer was very likely a spirit farmer.

Although the detection array revealed that the opponent had reached the Chaoyuan stage, Lingnong did not have much combat power. He was thinking about whether he could make a profit without any investment.

He made a swift decision, inscribing Ji An's image onto a jade slip. He then summoned a trusted confidant who had never met Ji An before and whispered:
"Go out quickly and keep an eye on this monk to see if he has any companions."

"Be careful, the opponent is a cultivator in the Chaoyuan stage; their divine sense is definitely very sharp."

Two cultivators in the Chaoyuan stage of the family, skilled in combat, are currently on business in the Immortal City. If we can pull off a job, we can get at least 200,000 spirit stones for free.

Moreover, judging from how readily the other party paid with spirit stones, they must be a wealthy person.

Xizhou is located three thousand li northwest of Yuanhe Mountain, in an unnamed valley.

Deep within the cave, hidden by weeds, lies an altar of white bones, upon which rises eerie blue flames.

The flames leaped and danced, and the cave seemed to be filled with countless ghostly figures.

Yun Nianrong smiled. This was the Netherworld Demon Fire, refined by absorbing a large number of souls. It was a kind of man-made flame, a flame specifically designed to burn souls, and had a strong restraining effect on living beings.

She made a magic gesture, and a head the size of a basketball appeared, its eerie laughter echoing through the cave.

The skull has the features of an infant, but it is much larger than that of a normal infant, and it has four fangs in its mouth, two on the top and two on the bottom.

The head's eyes were enormous, comparable to a bull's eyes, with double pupils, and a cold, cruel gaze that had an inexplicable sinister quality.

Yun Nianrong laughed wildly a few times, controlled the head to enter the altar, and used the Netherworld Demon Fire to burn it, continuously injecting demonic restrictions into the head.

This is the ninth demonic skull she has crafted. It has already devoured enough flesh and souls. Once this final step is completed, the crafting will be successful.

At that time, the Nine Sons of the Demonic Artifact will be successfully completed.

The piercing cries emanating from her head were, ironically, a delightful sensation to her ears.

This method can completely fuse the demonic soul with the skull, increasing the skull's strength while giving it the ability to spew out netherfire.

After the demonic artifact was successfully forged, she became an invincible being at the Chaoyuan stage.

In addition, her cultivation is only one step away from breaking through to the Blood Core Realm, and these demonic artifacts can help her withstand the tribulation lightning that will come during her breakthrough.

The tribulation lightning of demonic cultivators is much stronger than that of ordinary Taoist cultivators, after all, their cultivation methods are too harmful to the natural order.

However, the Blood Demon's legacy contains secret methods for overcoming tribulations. As long as you have enough 'consumables,' overcoming tribulations is not difficult.

She cultivated six skeleton demons, nearly 60,000 demon souls, and with the Blood River and the Nine Sons Soul-Devouring Demon Artifact, she was able to find a secluded place to break through to the Blood Core stage, which is the Golden Core level of a True Person!
Thinking of this, her heart burned even hotter. After achieving the Blood Core, unless Golden Core cultivators joined forces again, there wouldn't be many forces in the entire Western Continent that could pose a threat to her.

(End of this chapter)